I seem to have a near unique ability to see a review I disagree with/that trashes a thing I wrote or thing I liked, and shrug and think, "oh well, that person disagreed with me." Sure, I still grit my teeth an want to argue back, tell them they missed the whole point, whatever, but... really, it's not a massive deal to me.

I know, I'm a genetic freak.

What sphinx of plascrete and adamantium bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? Imperator!

Mossy Toes wrote:I seem to have a near unique ability to see a review I disagree with/that trashes a thing I wrote or thing I liked, and shrug and think, "oh well, that person disagreed with me." Sure, I still grit my teeth an want to argue back, tell them they missed the whole point, whatever, but... really, it's not a massive deal to me.

Artists fabricating particular edifices distinct and product-y are not the only special flowers in the world.

For some of us, unable yet to produce ego-boosting works, we still can have an integrity that leaves us thin-skinned and absurdly agonised by aspersions cast... and little to no defence of distance from the product... we can 'hide' in a fortress of reason and logic. Breach the walls, the solace of rationality. Urgh, to be reduced to a writhing mess of horridly emotional and weak conceptual pseudopods. Bah, there's many a reason to forge an ivory tower. Self-loathing in face of the inability to process and interface with others' often unwittingly unreasoning meanness is hardly an awful, pitiless motivation.

Personally, I'd prefer to hide that ugly monster. Deconstruct the ivory tower at everyone's peril. It is, however, a wonderful setting for an adventure.

"When my housemate puts his bike in the middle of the living room floor, I find that inordinately jarring, annoying and rude, but for me to refer to it as "genocide" would be incorrect." -Athxisor.wordpressXisor's Dice-o-matic Maiminator

Man I hate criticism. I get a lot of criticism in my professional life (part of the job!) and I hate it. I've always been hard on myself and not making things as well as I want to make them is frustrating.

Alas, taking criticism is the only way to grow. Alas, some of us are man-children. Still, the only thing worse than a critical review is no review at all. To be bad is one thing, to be boring is another. If you're bad and boring, god have mercy on your soul.

Lets be fair - nobody ENJOYS criticism. You'd have to be a masochist to be able to genuinely say you liked people taking your work apart, however valid it might be. I did a YouTube video as a trial a few months ago and my wife watched it and said 'its boring' and she was right. Still not nice to hear though.

I think what defines any artist is their ability to weather that criticism gracefully. Some manage by ignoring it, others by responding in a dignified manner. There is no right way, all joking aside, it's just whatever works best for the individual. But it's the artists that DO successfully deal with criticism that go far. The ones that don't either give up because they can't take it, or they stop getting taken seriously because of their hissy fits.

Am I perfect at it? Hell no. I've got an ego the size of a planet and as much as I try, it hurts to hear criticism. But if I am serious about progressing as a writer (and I am) then I accept its something I will have to work on.

Oof, that was altogether more solemn than I intended. Somebody say a rude word and break the tension/monotony :p

Only the insane have strength enough to prosper. Only those who prosper may truly judge what is sane.

Fifty Shades of Geek - reviews, interviews and features covering the whole realm of geek based entertainment, from comic books to films and everything inbetween. See the site at www.fiftyshadesofgeek.org, follow us on twitter @shadesofgeek and join in with the community www.facebook.com/50shadesofgeek

I don't get a huge amount of criticism for the stuff I do (usually because people think it's someone else, to my quiet frustration) but when it does get attributed to me and I do get actual criticism, I try to ride with it. I'm well aware of my many, many faults, and the most constructive critics give me advice on how to improve.

As a mere reader, I think constructive criticism isn't that bad, but the key word is constructive. Otherwise, it's just waffle, gas and noise (see also why I no longer post on two popular Internet forums dedicated to wargaming, rhyming with Raw Beer and Wakka Wakka). Interestingly enough, one of the Bioware proper chaps said that their own forums were poisonous, a festering pit of whinge. And whilst my own opinion of their most recent works are far from positive, I agree with him that a seething pit of screeching anonymous lunatics, like a modern-day hell, is hardly constructive.

"Holy HP Lovecraft spinning through the thirteen abyssal planes on a propane grill!"

I find that Pyro's Flange is uninspired, flat and dull. Lacking in character and purpose and any sort of value to make me give a damn. 2 stars out of 7.

`I find that Schafer's review of Flange is missing the subtle, yet intricately woven plot, the outstanding characterisation and the sheer power of a single word. I rate this review as 1 out of 8,000,000.

I find that whereas Pyro's use of the word 'flange' may at first appear to be a challenging, thought provoking declaration of female empowerment in the twenty first century, what it actually represents is a tired re-tread of a simple plumbing metaphor which has been dragged into service as a double entendre for the female genitalia due to its onomatopoeic qualities.

I find that this colours my opinion of both the material, and the critical reception that it has received thus far. I therefore rate it as 0/infinity.

Only the insane have strength enough to prosper. Only those who prosper may truly judge what is sane.

Fifty Shades of Geek - reviews, interviews and features covering the whole realm of geek based entertainment, from comic books to films and everything inbetween. See the site at www.fiftyshadesofgeek.org, follow us on twitter @shadesofgeek and join in with the community www.facebook.com/50shadesofgeek

Hercule Pyro wrote:I don't get a huge amount of criticism for the stuff I do (usually because people think it's someone else, to my quiet frustration) but when it does get attributed to me and I do get actual criticism, I try to ride with it. I'm well aware of my many, many faults, and the most constructive critics give me advice on how to improve.

As a mere reader, I think constructive criticism isn't that bad, but the key word is constructive. Otherwise, it's just waffle, gas and noise (see also why I no longer post on two popular Internet forums dedicated to wargaming, rhyming with Raw Beer and Wakka Wakka). Interestingly enough, one of the Bioware proper chaps said that their own forums were poisonous, a festering pit of whinge. And whilst my own opinion of their most recent works are far from positive, I agree with him that a seething pit of screeching anonymous lunatics, like a modern-day hell, is hardly constructive.

Agreed on all counts. Raw Beer and Wakka Wakka are very frustrating places to be, but the former wins out over the latter in that there is still an undercurrent of positivity worth being a part of IMO. Not to mention that a few people there have some very in-depth ideas on the worlds that are always worth-reading.

As bad as book-blog-forums can sometimes be, I'd also say that Video Game forums are worse by miles. Having been a part of several WoW forums for almost 2 years, the level of entitlement, derision and hate I've seen is just astounding. Not to mention the general ridiculousness whenever somebody (essentially) says: "I didn't like so this is the worst thing ever, they are gonna kill the game!".